@Bromfield2 If you haven’t already figured it out, my understanding is that HBOmax is not available through the Xfinity box on your TV but you can sign into the app using your xfinity credentials. I haven’t tried it yet, but my kids have been successful.
We gave up on Succession. We were about 3 episodes into Season 2. We hated every single one of the characters, every other sentence had the “f” word and that got old, and we just simply hated the show. Besides- the regular shows are starting to come back now.
For those who have Netflix, and don’t mind subtitles, there are some really fantastic Israeli TV shows available. HaShoter Hatov (sort of like F Troop in a blue collar Israeli town’s police station) is to die for funny, hits on every Israeli stereotype. Shtisel (family drama set in ultraorthodox extended family in Jerusalem, in about 2013 or so) is the best thing I’ve ever seen made for TV. Try them, you might be surprised.
@MaineLonghorn, re post 4419, I thought I was a decent player going into HS. I could easily crush my friends who played. Then an Iranian kid joined the HS chess club who turned out to be some rated player. Whenever I played him, he would say at some early point in the game, “You will be resigning in X moves”, and he was right. After a few rounds of humiliation, I hung up my chessboard and went back to just being an athlete.
@BKSquared, that’s funny. I like it when the protagonist in the series points out to opponents that she has already won!
Totally agree with @ Hightide 2020 about Succession!!! Horrible character and unnecessary language.
We loved Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) too, and several other couples that we zoom with also seemed to enjoy it. After we were done, it was kind of like finishing a really good book… you are sad there are no more chapters left and think you’ll be missing the characters.
Not a binge but a current series. HBO “The Undoing”. Really good!!! Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.
We’ve watched all of Detective Montalbano (RAI series running for 20 years) on MHz (you can buy a supplement to your Amazon Prime membership) and also, Young Montalbano (origin story, same setting and characters). The series is largely filmed in Sicily and the scenery is fantastic. Each episode is like a movie in itself (almost 2 hours). I have read all the Camilleri books but I got my husband hooked on the show. We love the shots of Sicily (the town the books are set in, Vigata, is fictional but the show is filmed in Ragusa Ibla). It’s like taking a little vacation for an hour or two. The Young Montalbano series appeal is greater if you know the characters from the first series (much of the pleasure is wondering when certain key characters of the long-running series will be introduced).
@ChoatieMom Fargo seasons 1 and 2 are fantastic. I think season 2 is one of the best series ever on TV. Season 3 okay; but I have heard mixed reports about season 4. Noah Hawley is a skilled writer but may have fallen into the trap of trying to say big general things about America in Season 4 but falling into stereotype and cliche. We’ll see. One of Fargo’s wonderful strengths has been its localism. With Fargo, Hawley is like the Flannery O’Connor of the upper Midwest. KC and MN are quite different in some ways ( I say this as someone born in KC MO and raised in MN).
90 Day Fiance?
We got hooked on 90 Day Fiancé. It’s a glimpse into relationships different from our own, but with some underlying similar issues, which intrigued us.
@NJSue: We thoroughly enjoyed Fargo seasons 1 and 2 and did finally watch season 3 to the end, but did not enjoy it much, hated the ending. We’re up-to-date now on season 4 and enjoying it as much as the first two.
Just caught up on the Undoing and liking it so far for the most part. Some of the cinematography is a bit much., but otherwise interesting premise and mystery.
I just finished the book the the Undoing is based on. I guess I’ll have to get HBO for a month so I can binge watch it now.
I just finished the 1st season of “Fortitude” on Amazon Prime. It’s a British show, not new, but there it was under “TV Shows We Think You’ll Like” last week when I really needed some distraction. It starts off as a Nordic crime mystery and winds up a full-blown suspense horror thriller. That’s not my genre but I found it excellent even if I did have to look at only one corner of the screen during much of the last two episodes.
It was filmed in Iceland and the setting is spectacular. So was the cast. Michael Gambon, Stanley Tucci, and several actors I hadn’t known (Luke Treadaway, Sofie Grabol, and especially Richard Dormer) were outstanding. The plot kept me guessing until the last 10 minutes. There’s some disturbing body horror, but by the time it surfaced after several episodes I was too invested to stop watching. This isn’t for everybody, but I’m glad I saw it.
@frazzled1 We love Scandi noir but after a few episodes of Fortitude, I stopped watching though my husband continued to watch and said it was excellent. Trapped is another good one, as is Rebecka Martinsson, both on Netflix, I think.
We’ve been on a BBC run lately, mostly on Netflix. “Ripper Street” is late 1890s detective show with Matthew MacFadyen of Pride and Prejudice, Succession etc. and assorted Game of Thrones actors. “The English Game,” also late 1800s Britain, involving early soccer clubs and competitions, though broader stories involve haves and have nots. I’m hooked on “Call the Midwife,” though my spouse won’t go there with me.
We were tempted to give up on Succession, we also had reached the point where we felt we didn’t like any of the characters and there were better ways to spend the evening, even in a pandemic. Then somewhere around the middle of Season 2, we got hooked by the power struggle and pulled in by some of the characters, broken and distasteful as many of them are, as we learned more about backstories.
I gave Schitt’s Creek another try based on the comments her. It’s grown on me and iS pretty easy to watch (each episode is really short). Catherine O’Hara is outstanding!! Finishing up the third season.
I started watching Schitt’s Creek after hearing my husband laugh hysterically at one of the early episodes (the hunting one). He ended up giving up on it shortly after but I watched all seasons and loved it. Definitely a show that got better as it goes along. I also recommend Kim’s Convenience on Netflix. I seem to have watched a lot of Canadian and British shows and movies since Covid started. My vocabulary is now sprinkled with British sayings.
I watched 1 1/2 episodes of Queen’s Gambit and gave up for now. I sat through many chess tournaments as all 3 of my children played (not terribly well, but on an elementary school team that did ok in a relatively uncompetitive state 
). I find chess to be somewhat boring. I liked Emily in Paris for what it was - light and fluffy but kept my attention (I’ve never been to Paris so have no reason to dislike it for its unrealistic portrayal). Recently liking The Trouble With Maggie Cole.
Watched Offspring based on the recommendations here - took a few episodes to get over how neurotic the main character was initially written but ended up loving the show (especially her relationships with her family) until I hit the end of Season 4.
I have to say that I didn’t see that twist coming and was so upset by what happened. I don’t normally get worked up over a tv show, so was surprised by how betrayed I felt (much like the ending of How I Met Your Mother corrupted my feelings for the entire series).
Kept watching thru Season 5 and most of Season 6, but don’t know if I should even bother with finishing S6 and S7, as the show just isn’t the same. Watching Derry Girls now and it is really funny!